Maclin1

I have a 2014 Giant Roam 0. I changed out the Suntour lockout susp fork that came with the bike for a Gusset Jury susp corrected cromoly front fork. Transformed a good bike into an incredible general purpose hybrid. Concur entirely with your comments re typical hybrid cusp forks.

JehD

I have to disagree here. In the grand scheme of things I find the added weight negligible.

Unless I am on a super smooth bike path and that's a rare place, especially on narrower tires and higher pressures the suspension takes the harshness out of the ride. It also allows me to not worry about the curbs, potholes, railroad tracks ect.

In the dept store bikes the forks are crap, no doubt there but in the $750-$1000 range I don't think that's the case. When Ihad my 8.4 I did think the fork was a little soft but at 250ish lbs I was probably at its limit but I think at 35 lbs less it will be fine.

If I was going to race or be that serious a rider where "every pedal stroke" or every gram was counted I don't think I would be on a hybrid to begin with.

boobymcgoo

My vote is against suspension on a hybrid. They make the bike heavier, more complicated, and if you're not quick with the lock-out you might find yourself bobbing up and down on the shock. For example, the shock isn't locked and you want to quickly stand-up and pedal.

NormanF

Balloon tires are cheaper and can provide better suspension than a suspension fork. Good option if your bike can accept wider tires - which is true of 29ers.

Redflea

This was my neighbor's experience - bought and sold bike w/suspension, bought and kept bike w/rigid fork and uses tire pressure appropriate for his ride/comfort needs.

trainchaser

...this is another one of those topics where any argument will never reach a true consensus because its all about personal opinions, so here's mine. I've had road bikes, mtb's with and without front suspension, and now I have a Specialized Crosstrail Sport Disc that is easily one of the best overall bikes I've ever owned. I does all I want it to do, handles very well and having a font suspension fork with lockout, doesn't punish my hands like many of my old bikes have over the years...that's my opinion, obviously your may vary...

MrCoffee

I have a suspension front fork on my Specialized Crostraill Disc. I have locked it about twice since I got the bike, but now I keep it unlocked all the time. My bike is a hybrid. It's not geared like a mountain bike, and it's not stiff and crouched like a road bike. It is designed for running through curbs, pits, rocks, gravel, holes, AND some smooth pavement. What my bike is suited for, it does very well. If I wanted a stiff fork, I would have purchased a road bike with dropped bars instead.

limbot

My 2.2 cents (inc Aus GST) worth

I currently have:

2008 Norco Wolverine Hard Tail. Fat tires 2.35". Great for real dirty single track, off road stuff. Too low geared (32/22 11/30)for any sort of road riding and pogos because of the 110mm front suspension without lockout especially when you're pushing hard off the saddle. Exclusively for being driven to a set of trails only to ride the trails and then driven home

2013 Trek DS 8.4 . Great for gravel roads, fire trails , commuting and general riding. LT3 38mm tires. Most of the time I have the suspension locked off even on dirt as I don't want to lose power however on a really rugged trail or when I'm going down hill will release the suspension and go for it. 65mm suspension is fine for the gravel/trails I'm doing, yet because of the triple ring and wide range of gearing (48/36/26 11-32) can easily do road duty as well. I'll ride road to the trails, ride the trails and then ride road home again. The most versatile bike I've got.

2012 Ridley X-Bow . CX bike, drop bar, rigid forks. This was my first foray into drop bar. Great fun, can do everything the DS can do but add to that longer road rides as more "comfortable" for that. Does gravel roads but if the trail gets too nasty then the rigid forks start to show their limitations and the thinner tyres (XG Pro 32mm) means picking your lines a lot better. Compact 48/34 with 11/25 on the back so nowhere near as low as the DS or the Wolverine.

My big decision for the last few months was replacing the X-Bow with something a bit newer with a slightly wider range of gearing on the back. A more gravel grinder type drop bar with 50/34 11/28(32) type gearing on the back. For months I've been looking for the perfect gravel grinder/CX. Went to a demo day for Trek and rode a $13k Emonda roadie which suddenly made me think about what I really needed. In the end bought a :

2014 Avanti ERII 2 Carbon Fibre Road bike. Where can I ride it... on the road, not offroad, not gutter jumps but exactly what I need to fill out my "stable".

The DS will do all my gravel grinding, firetrail, general riding and the "crossover" between the X-Bow and the DS was too close but the DS is way more versatile. Just last weekend took the DS on a 50km ride, 40% road, 40% gravel Road, 20% Firetrails. None of my other bikes will do that. Add some bar ends for more hand positions and that's about all I've done to her. Yes it's heavier than the road bike for road riding but I'm in it for fitness and you have to pay a price somewhere

In the end it really depends on where you'll be riding. A gravel road is different to a firetrail which is different to a singletrack which is different to a logging trail...... (and mostly likely peoples definition of the type of trail will differ too. I've had guys laugh at me on the CX bike on trails and yet I manage to keep up with them or pass them )

Only you can decide if front suspension on your hybrid is appropriate for your area and style of riding !!!

manc

The rigid v suspension thing is overblown. Buy the best bike with the best components that you can sensibly afford.
Buy a bike that you like the look of and you will want to ride. A bike that you want, not what somebody else thinks you should want.
In the big scheme of things it really doesn't matter rigid v suspension. You can always change a fork any time you want.

DirePenguin

I agree with you. I've got a Trek 8.3 DS with a suspension fork and it makes a big difference in the way my shoulders, elbows and wrists feel while I'm riding on anything but the smoothest pavement.

I doubt the extra weight is really holding me back very much; I'm not a racer and tenths-of-a-second don't really matter to me.

I generally ride the same route each day and I tried comparing a week of riding with the suspension locked against a week of riding unlocked and there was no time difference that I could see. Wind seems to be a *much* bigger factor than suspension lock-out. However I do know that my shoulders, wrists and elbows were feeling it more with the suspension locked out.

lopek77

This statement is very wrong... To change the suspension fork to rigid one is not as easy or cheap as you think. It's very hard to find the "right" suspension corrected rigid fork, and it's very expensive, especially when comparing it's price to the price of all entry level hybrids.
You have to deal with type of brakes, color, shape and so on. There is not much choice, and most will cost well over $100 for a "cheap" CroMo fork, and $200 or more for aluminum and cheaper carbon forks. It's 1/4 - 1/2 of the price of the new bike...
And I don't think you can even dream about putting suspension fork on non suspension hybrid...

My suggestion is to test ride both types, and then to decide which one is best for you.

Wilfred Laurier

RST has historically made some of the better quality 'budget' suspension forks, although I have no knowledge or experience with that particular one. That bike, however, is intended for some actual trail riding, though, and I would trust Trek to spec their bike appropriately.

qclabrat

+1 to go rigid

suspension forks will add a few pounds

khutch

There cannot be a consensus on this matter because hybrid bikes by their nature are used for a variety of things. In theory hybrids have some features of both road and mountain bikes (primarily although they can use features from other types as well) and in practice they are often biased towards one end or the other of that spectrum. If you are going to do a lot of trail riding and some road riding then a suspension fork makes sense. If you are going to do a lot of road and smooth trail riding and occasionally venture further off road then fat tires and appropriate inflation levels make more sense. If your "road" riding includes a lot of broken pavement, potholes, curbs, construction sites, etc then a suspension fork makes sense. And so on. There is no single answer that fits all of us and that is why hybrids come both ways. You have to understand what is most important to you and perhaps even what is most important to you for this particular bike purchase before you can decide which way to go. I am mostly a road guy so fat but efficient tires, the right pressure for today's route, and a rigid fork are what does it for me. If you have done your homework and come up with a different answer then be confident that your decision is the right one for you.

lopek77

To simplify the topic, there should be:

HYBRID - which is a fast version of MTB for use on streets

and

ROAD HYBRID - which is a road bike with flat bars

Hybrid should have suspension fork, while road hybrid should have rigid fork.

dynaryder

Surly forks are well under $100,and Nashbar CF forks can quite often be found for around $100.

manc

You have just made a very compelling reason to get a suspension hybrid, as you can easily swap the fork for any number of rigid forks widely available and reasonably priced.
Buying a rigid bike might be a problem to put suspension on later.
Test riding bikes is a good idea. But situations change. You might need the bike set up differently months later.
Great point you have made there.

Grey.

Forgive me if i'm reading this wrong, but your statement sounds like a common misconception about the usefulness of front suspension on a hybrid. A suspension fork will not enable your bike to cross terrain it otherwise wouldn't be able to, it will simply make the ride more comfortable. You can put thick tires on a rigid fork hybrid and achieve great off-road performance, if at some point you need to do a bit of trail riding.

lopek's suggestion is the best option, ride both and decide which will suit your riding style. I have no interest in trail riding and so I would not want to carry around the unnecessary weight of a suspension fork. Someone who on the contrary plans to do a lot of trail riding would enjoy the increased comfort of a dual-sport hybrid.

Gus90

a carbon frame makes for a much more compliant ride than a minimal travel suspension fork. The difference between my carbon CX bike and my aluminum cannondale with a head shock is huge. The head shock doesn't make much difference IMO. It can be locked out though.

lopek77

I heard similar opinions before. I'm too crazy on my bike, and also too heavy to buy or enjoy carbon frame, but I will test ride carbon frame bike to see how it feels. Really looking forward to it.

Bill1227

Although I put a Origin 8 , Black Ops, carbon fork on one of mine (no complaints / love it ) some of the Cross Trekking/Dual Sport / Cross Trail bicycles suspension forks have been substantially improved , recently it seems. Specialized prioritized, customized their version for much better dampening, various coil springs,etc. Other than they are all still heavy, as coil sprung suspension forks are (trade off~virtually no maintenance,limited travel)

They are getting better.

I am not sure what I would do now ? I don't miss the 3#'s I saved on the Origin 8 carbon......that I do know

intransit1217

I think we've scared her off. Our work here is done.

On the off chance the op is still following, here's my .02. If you are light of body, rigid. If you tend to be weighty, suspension. I'm weighty, and therefore pro-suspension.

DaleW

I have a hybridized mountain bike that I have set up for riding rail trails and I replaced the suspension fork with a rigid one. I didn't like the bobbing and power loss when climbing. It saves weight, complexity and maintenance. No regrets!

I do run Schwalbe Big Ben 26x2.15 tires which soak up the small bumps found on paths and work great on pavement and gravel.

Daddy Wags

When I was bike shopping last summer, I rode a Giant Roam (suspension) and a Giant Escape (rigid fork) back to back over the same course. My criteria was comfort and ease of getting from point A to point B. I live in hilly country where 90% of the time I am going up or down hill. And I live a mile off the highway on a gravel road.

In test riding these two bikes, I went up hills, went after manhole covers and speed bumps, went on the gravel stuff and tested speed and stopping. I tried to be a little extreme with the bikes. I didn't do any off road trail riding.





It became quickly apparent to me that the rigid forked Escape would be my choice. I was surprised that the difference in ride comfort was not as great as I thought it would be. The ease of moving the bike, especially up hill, was significantly better with the Escape. The Roam certainly had the edge when hitting chuck holes, manhole covers, and sleeping policemen.

With a rigid fork bike, a rider can improve the ride over the rough stuff by expanding tire size and/or tire pressure. Also, learning to use one's legs as shock absorbers on large bumps really helps in riding comfort.

I am of the opinion that alot of riders bent over skinny race oriented bikes or riding mountain bikes would be far better served with a quality rigid fork hybrid. But there certainly is a useful place for both road bikes and suspension bikes. My point is don't cut the rigid fork hybrid short in it's ability to handle a variety of riding conditions.

Rootman

Some good answers here already, and some rhetoric too.

All I can do is throw in my experience. I have a Giant Roam with a suspension fork. I can lock it out, but when I do my kidneys, back and elbows suffer, even after swapping out saddles to a sprung one. I am just too much of a ***** to hack it. And our paved trails are full of cracks, bumps and curbs.

That being said, if you have a CHEAP suspension fork then YES it is better to have a rigid one. A cheap fork can lead to wandering and make the bike handle squirrelly, as well as cause excessive movement in the front. And when ever there is movement in the fork that movement is stealing energy from what should be transfered to the road. If it's a good fork that can remain rigid enough and can be adjusted to provide just enough comfort and you like that sort of thing then I say go for it.